Sometimes It's Best to Walk Away
by MumblesSKS
Summary: Not everything is as it seems in Hope County when Deputy Cassian Shaw is tasked with helping apprehend the leader of Eden's Gate. But what happens when things turn out worse than expected and survival suddenly looks unlikely?


**Let's be honest now. Even though being able to create a character in Far Cry 5 is pretty sweet it sucks that we have to play as a mute protagonist. Personally, I felt that there were many times in the game where the the Deputy could have added their own input especially with dealing with the Seed family. Well here's my take on the game with a Deputy who actually talks and has his on reservations about some of things that occur during the game. May delve into AU, not sure yet. Enjoy.**

* * *

It _was like the sky itself was set on fire. The already hot air grew unbearable and felt as if it would take him off his feet effortlessly. The ground rumbled and trembled as the shockwave rushed towards him._

 _Far off in the distance, I massive cloud shaping into a sort of mushroom. It couldn't be, there's no way a nuke got that close without any sirens going off or anybody noticing._

 _Yet, there it was. Had he been looking when it went off he surely would have been blinded. To be honest he wished he did get blinded. It would have preferable to watching his quickly advancing demise._

 _It is done, child._

 _He turned around and could see a man. He was shirtless and covered in tattoos. But also had sins carved into his skin._

 _Sloth._

 _Lust._

 _Gluttony._

 _Greed._

 _The man's eyes turned to the sky as he lifted his arms. His eyes closed and he began humming a hymn. It was familiar, how did it go?_

 _Amazing Grace, How Sweet The Sound._

 _The rumbling grew deafening and when he looked back at the cloud and the shockwave, it consumed him._

Cassian snapped his head up and glanced around anxiously. The interior of the helicopter and its occupants were instantly recognized. He felt himself sigh heavily, he could feel his heart beating right through his chest a million miles a minute. He shut his eyes and wiped the sweat off his brow. That was one intense nightmare.

"You okay, Rookie?" He recognized the Sheriff's drawl through the headphones they all had on. Sitting across from him to right was Sheriff Earl Whitehorse, tough old bastard but fair. Plus unlike the other guys who applied for sheriff, he was a man of action and doing things right. Nothing convenient or lazy when he was around. "You were thrashing about quite a bit there."

"I'm good, boss." Cassian reassured with a wave. "Just had a bad dream."

"Don't lose your nerve now, Rookie. We haven't even gotten there yet." Another gravelly voice sounded off. Directly in front of him was their guest, US Marshal Cameron Burke and the sole reason he was riding in this chopper in the sticks. "Besides, this should be a cakewalk compared to your time in the military."

Cassian rolled his eyes, bastard read up on him and more than likely on everybody else here. "Sorry to disappoint you, Marshal, but my time in the Air Force pretty much boils down to handing out speeding tickets and a deployment which was essentially an overpaid vacation."

"Atleast he's honest." Deputy Stacey Pratt chuckled from the cockpit. Until today, Cassian hadn't interacted much with him but one thing he knew for certain was that Pratt was a bit of a prankster. Thankfully his pranks had usually been aimed towards making the Sheriff's life inconvenient. Still, from the few conversations they had, he seemed nice enough. Always good for a laugh. "We're crossing the Henbane River now."

Cassian looked out the window and let out a indignant snort. Apparently this Joseph Seed character was a megalomaniac considering he had a massive monument of himself displayed for the entire county to see.

"Someone's compensating for something." He observed earning a few chuckles. More brownie points for him.

"I'll say. Crazy motherfucker thinks himself Jesus incarnate, probably." The co-pilot, Deputy Josephine "Joey" Hudson spat out. Out of all the people he's met since he became a deputy, Hudson was the one he had most facetime with since she was supposed to be mentoring him. No-nonsense and hot-tempered but she knew her shit better than everyone in the department excluding Whitehorse. Helped that she was easy on the eyes too but that's besides the point. "Brace yourselves, boys. We're in Peggie Country now."

Only the sound of the rotors could be heard for a bit as they flew past the statue. It was unnerving enough for the guy to have a statue of himself but now that he was invading his dreams it was downright creepy. To Cassian, everything about Joseph screamed David Koresh or Jim Jones and if the rumors about his group were true then it would spell bad news for everyone. It didn't help that they were showing up to arrest this guy with just five people.

"How long until we reach the compound?" Marshal Burke asked, reading over the warrant in his hands.

"Long enough to turn this bird around and forget this business, Marshal." Whitehorse answered with a small amount of apprehension. The Sheriff apparently had run-ins with the Peggies before so if he was nervous about this whole op, that spoke volumes. "It's not too late."

Burke scoffed and held up the warrant to further reinforce himself. "You want me to ignore a federal warrant, Sheriff?"

"I just want you to be sure of what you are getting yourself into. What you're getting us into." The Sheriff gestured around the chopper to everyone. "Because the reality of the situation is this: Joseph Seed is not a man to be fucked with."

"Fuckin' right." Hudson added.

"We've had run-ins with him before and things don't always turn out our way, unfortunately. All I'm saying is sometimes… sometimes, it's best to leave well enough alone."

Burke nodded and took a final look at the warrant before folding it up and stuffing it into his pocket. "I appreciate the concern," He started off sarcastically, "but we have laws for a reason. Today, Joseph Seed is going to learn that lesson."

Cassian watched as the Sheriff's face dropped and he could feel a sinking feeling in his stomach. He always got that whenever trouble was around and today was no different. The Sheriff got on the horn with dispatch but Cassian paid no mind as he stared out at the darkened landscape. The telltale lights of homes were spaced out everywhere and from up here it almost seemed normal.

Almost.

The compound soon came into view and Cassian felt dread as they grew closer. The compound reminded him of the huts that he stayed in while in technical training for security forces while he served. The entire compound was surrounded by chain-linked fences topped with barbed wire. People could be seen milling about and more than a few were holding long objects in their hands. Somehow he didn't think that those were shovels or garden hoes. If he was being honest, the entire set up reminded him of a military outpost. The thought of that being the case terrified him.

After confirming with Marshal one last time that they could turn back, the helo slowly lowered itself into the compound. A crowd was already gathering and Cassian could feel the hairs on the back of his neck stand.

"This is a bad idea, Sheriff." Pratt voiced his displeasure at the current situation. It was pretty much a universal agreement that they clearly did not belong here.

"Dispatch, you still there?" Whitehorse asked with a sigh.

"Go ahead."

"If you don't hear from us in fifteen minutes, you call in everybody. Get the goddamn National Guard if you have to. Over and out."

"Roger that, I'll be praying for you all. Dispatch clear."

Whitehorse removed his headset and hollered as everyone began undoing their seatbelts. "Alright people, listen up. Three rules: nobody gets left alone, we stay as a group until we reach the church. Keep your guns in your holsters and let me do the talking. Everybody got it?"

Burke nodded. "Got it."

"Ten-four." Cassian gave a thumbs up.

"Whatever you say, bossman." Hudson complied hesitantly.

Whitehorse nodded and gave a reassuring smile before tapping Pratt on the shoulder. "Keep the bird on. We may need to make a hot exit if things go south."

"Roger that, Sheriff." Pratt gave a smirk and waved them off.

"Alright, Let's go."

Cool air blew against Cassian's face as he stepped out of the helo and fell in line with the Marshal, Sheriff, and Hudson. He balked at the weaponry that was being touted by half of the men and women surrounding them. Rifles and shotguns being brandished and some of their owners definitely looked ready to use them. Hell, there was some crazy bastard with a flamethrower.

"Stay close, Rook. Shake a leg, yeah?" Hudson waved him forward.

Many things were obvious as the group walked towards the church. First and foremost being they most certainly were not welcome here. Second, compared to the Peggies they were severely underequipped. One wrong move and they would be turned into swiss cheese. Third, Marshal Burke was seriously overestimating just how much power he thought they had just because they were wearing badges. A thought that was promptly refuted by Hudson.

She was right too sadly. Cassian had grown up around gangs and those who generally disregarded the law but they at least tried to hide what they were doing. Peggies clearly had no problem showing off their power. The way they were dressed and how they were acting, they were definitely looking for a fight. It's no wonder himself, Hudson, and Whitehorse were on edge.

Finally reaching the church he stared at the building with apprehension. "You know, I think we could stand to have a few more shooters on our side."

"Easy, Rook." Whitehorse chastised, "Everything goes right and we'll be out of here before you know."

"Nah, I'm with Deputy Shaw, Sheriff." Hudson countered glancing behind the group. Seems like the entire compound came out to see what the fuss was about. "We got a lot of fucking eyes on us right now."

"We're not leaving without Joseph." Marshal Burke didn't bother hiding the irritation in his voice. "So how about you all grow a pair and get this done."

The Marshal reached to open the door that was covered in scriptures but was stopped by the Sheriff who held the door firmly shut.

"Now we do this, we do it my way." He started fixing a serious state at the Marshal. "Quietly. Calmly. Let's bring any more unnecessary trouble our way."

"Relax, Sheriff. You're about to get your name in the papers." Marshal Burke said with a relaxed smile patting the Sheriff's arm.

"Yeah, I'm not too keen on having my name in the obituaries." Cassian commented offhandedly, ignoring the glare from the Marshal.

"Enough. Hudson, you're on the door. Make sure none of these guys get in while were doing this. Rook, you're with me and you," He looked towards the federal agent sighing, "try not to do anything stupid."

Cassian watched the Marshal roll his eyes as he opened the door. He hesitated when it came time to walk in. Everything in him was screaming for him to turn back and forget this place. He wanted to honestly but he had a job to do. Cassian took a deep breath and steeled his nerves. Didn't stop him from flinching when he felt Hudson clap a hand on his shoulder.

Her brown eyes locked with his green ones and despite the determined look on her face he could see the same worry that was in his own. "You'll be fine, Rook. Shake a leg, yeah?"

The words were right, sounded right even. But deep down they knew something was sketchy here. Cassian stepped into the lion's den after the Marshal and Sheriff closing the door behind him. The church was dimly lit with most of the light coming from up ahead through a insignia shining onto a mysterious figure. If they were going for a somber and creepy ambiance then they nailed it. Peggies filled the pews with just everyone sitting in close proximity but all had the same enraptured look on their face as they stared forward. The silhouette moved slowly as he gave his sermon.

"Something is coming. You can feel it can't you? That we are creeping towards the edge… and there will be a reckoning."

The three law enforcement officers were silent as the slowly crept forward. Only the sounds of the floorboards creaking and a voice like sweet honey. A voice that was soothing and charismatic.

"That is why we started the Project. Because we know what happens next. They will come. They will try to take from us. Take our guns. Take our freedom. Take our faith!"

Cassian glanced around as they got close to the pews. Eyes began turning towards them and followed their every move. Men and women stood and their faces turned from awe at the sermon to disgust and malice at the sight of the officers. His heart was beating fast and the only comfort he had was resting his hand next to his service weapon on his left hip.

"But we will not let them!"

Marshal Burke, still not fully grasping the danger of the situation he thought, looked towards Whitehorse. "Sheriff, c'mon-"

"Just hold on, Marshal." Sheriff Whitehorse calmly stated.

It felt like the walls were closing in on him. Alarms were practically screaming in his head. He could feel eyes tracking his every move. He could see Joseph Seed clearly now. Standing shirtless and eyeing each of them. It sent chills down his spine.

"We will not let their greed, or their immorality, or their depravity hurt us anymore!" Joseph's voice steadily grew louder and louder as he gained more momentum with his sermon.

"Sheriff." Burke urged impatiently.

Whitehorse held out his arms in a placating way. "Do not pull that trigger, Marshal. Remain calm."

"There will be no more suffering!"

"No, fuck this." Burke pulled out the warrant and held out in front of Joseph. "Joseph Seed! I have a warrant for your arrest on the suspicion of kidnapping with intent to harm! Step forward and keep your hands where I can see them!"

You could hear a pin drop with how silent it was in the church. Cassian gulped and glanced around. Murderous stares were aimed squarely on Burke. They done kicked the hornet's nest now.

Joseph raised his hands, gesturing to the trio. "Here they are… the Locusts in our garden… You see they've come for me."

Cassian had to use every ounce of willpower he had to not draw his weapon at what came next. A whole line of Peggies had formed in front of them acting as a barrier between the Father and the officers. Those who were in the pews were growing uncomfortably close and there was a lot of chatter from them. The bastard was definitely inciting them.

"They've come to take me away from you. They've come to destroy all that we built."

The chattering turned into shouting and and the Peggies in front brandished their weapons menacingly. Cassian had an iron grip on his pistol and anxiously looked around. This was a very hectic situation and the only reason he hadn't drawn his weapon was because of the Sheriff's insistent shouting to keep calm and not draw his service weapon.

And then everything stopped. The screaming and shouting. The weapons were now being held slack. It was like someone flipped a switch. Looking forward he saw the Father resting his hands on two of his followers shoulders.

"We knew this moment would come. We have prepared for. Go. Go."

Slowly but surely the followers all began nodding and filtering past them.

"God will not let them take me."

To be honest, he was amazed and terrified. To be able to defuse a situation like that and get them to leave was nothing short of impressive but he had concerns on why they were so willing to follow his orders. His grip did not lessen as the Peggies slid past him, each one taking a moment to give him an evil eye.

Three people neglected to leave and stood on the altar behind Joseph. The two men shared a resemblance to the Father and he assumed that those were Jacob and John Seed, Joseph's brothers. A woman remained too though he did not recognize her. If he had to hazard a guess, he would assume that she was Faith Seed. Despite the absence of the crowd, Cassian did not feel any safer. In fact he felt more vulnerable now than before.

He could feel himself being scrutinized by each and every one of them.

"I saw when the Lamb opened the First Seal, and I heard, as it were the noise of thunder, one of the four beasts say come and see..." Joseph continued on with his hands raised towards the ceiling.

"Step. Forward." Burke hissed through gritted teeth. His hand hovering over his holster.

"And I saw…" Joseph pointed a finger at the Marshal letting his gaze linger before turning his gaze towards the Sheriff. "and behold it was a white horse…" His gaze finally turned to Cassian. "and Hell followed with him."

Slowly Joseph raised his arms and held them out towards Cassian. He could feel the Father's eyes look into him, into his soul. Cassian averted his eyes, afraid to look the man in the eyes because he felt like if he did, the Father would know everything about him.

"Rookie. Cuff this son of a bitch." The Marshal ordered, nodding towards Joseph.

"I… I don't know." Cassian shook his head trying to keep his breath steady. "I think we should just leave and get out of here." He looked to Sheriff Whitehorse for support but the Sheriff remained silent.

"God will not let you take me."

"Deputy Shaw, I am ordering you to put this man in cuffs now." Burke glared at Cassian. Cassian glanced at the Sheriff one last time and saw him simply shake his head.

"Take your friends and leave now."

Cassian took a deep breath and silently hoped his life expectancy was going to last longer than just the next ten minutes. "Fuck."

Cassian stepped forward and somehow managed to get the cuffs on without shaking too much. As he engaged the secondary locks on the cuffs he looked up to see Joseph's face inches from his.

"Sometimes it's best to just walk away." He whispered.

"Alright, we're going." Burke announced, pleased with the situation. The three began walking away with their new prisoner all while the three individuals on the altar remained silent.

"Be seeing you around, Deputy Shaw." A voice called out from behind.

Cassian looked behind at the trio and could see a sinister smirk on Jacob's face. Cassian's gaze lingered as he took note of the jacket he was wearing. It was an old desert combat uniform jacket with the Seed name on the right side and US Army on the left. He could also make out the insignia for the 82nd Airborne division. Whatever fear he had before was replaced by anger and disgust. To think that a fellow veteran would go along with all this insanity was nauseating.

"You should be ashamed of yourself. You disgrace that uniform and everyone who has ever worn it."

The smile grew even darker and Cassian could only scoff as he pushed forward bringing Joseph along with him. As soon as he stepped outside he gulped at how much of shitshow it was. Crowds had gathered and between the angry faces and the sobbing followers, he knew it was going to be a bit hairy getting back to the chopper.

"We need to get the fuck out of here now." Hudson shouted gripping her shotgun tight.

The trip to the chopper went just about how he expected it too. Everybody was shouting and demanding the Father be let go but they mostly kept their distance. That is, until someone decided to chuck a rock at the Marshal's head.

Cassian felt hands grab his shoulders from behind and he knew from there it was go time. He didn't even have to look back as he threw an elbow at the attacker and connected with his nose.

"Let's go. Let's go." Whitehorse shouted as he drew his weapon.

Cassian was already running forward dragging Joseph with him before the sheriff even finished his sentence. The Marshal fired off two shots in the air to spook the cultists but it did little to deter them. He all but shoved Joseph into the chopper before hopping in himself.

He was about to help Hudson secure Joseph's seatbelt before noticed a cultist trying to drag Burke out of the chopper.

"Pratt, get us the fuck out of here!" He shouted.

"Working on it!" Pratt hollered, trying very hard to ignore the cultist on the windshield.

"Get off me! Get off of me!" Cassian grabbed onto Burke just as he was pulled halfway out of the helicopter. The cultist had him by the arm and was trying to fling himself and Burke out of the chopper.

Before Cassian could do more he felt arms snake around his neck and pull him back. A loud crack filled the air as Burke fired into his attackers chest sending him crashing back into the unforgiving ground.

"Rookie, duck." Burke aimed his weapon towards Cassian and his dance partner.

Cassian damn near pissed himself as he ducked and heard the sound boom of the pistol firing. The arms around his neck loosened and he quickly pushed the body out of the helo.

There was time for rest though when a smear of blood sprayed across the windshield of the chopper as it shuddered.

"Fuck, crazy bastard jumped into the rotor blades!"

"Everyone hang on!"

Everything became distant and far away as the helicopter spun out of control. Cassian could feel his dinner coming back up but forced it back and gripped his seat for dear life. This was it, this is how he died. He didn't have time regret coming in to work before the chopper finally smashed into the ground.


End file.
